Capahas baseball team weathers heat, Waterloo

The temperature in Cape Girardeau finally dipped under the 100-degree mark Sunday, but that hardly brought relief at Capaha Field.

"The humidity was really up," Plaza Tire Capahas manager Jess Bolen said. "It was very hot."

So hot, in fact, that the heat index approached the 110-degree mark when the Capahas and Waterloo (Ill.) Millers squared off.

The heat got to Capahas starting pitcher Zack Smith, who had to leave the game in the second inning.

"He just got sick. His stomach was really cramping," Bolen said.

Capahas second baseman Logan Bartels forces out Waterloo baserunner Matt Ballard at second during the fifth inning Sunday at Capaha Field. (Laura Simon)

Tanner Hiett came to the rescue, working 6 1/3 stellar innings as the Capahas posted a 5-0 victory that improved their record to 19-4.

"He just did a great job," said Bolen, whose squad is 16-0 at home this season.

Hiett allowed three hits, struck out three and walked one batter.

"It was very impressive because Waterloo has a good team," Bolen said.

Smith did not allow a hit over 1 2/3 innings before giving way to Hiett with two outs in the top of the second. Smith struck out two and walked two.

The Capahas catcher Brandon Bennett heads back to home plate in the second inning against the Waterloo Millers Sunday, July 8, 2012 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

Jordan Kimball finished with a perfect ninth inning.

"All our pitchers threw very well," Bolen said after his trio of hurlers combined on a three-hitter.

Mike Mueller fired five shutout innings for the Millers. The teams were locked in a scoreless battle when the Capahas finally broke through in the sixth off losing hurler Cory Blackwell.

Sean Bard walked and scored on a two-out triple by Clayton Gibbons, who has three triples over the last two games.

The Capahas made it 2-0 in the seventh inning. Adam Blum walked and came around on Joe Campbell's triple.

A Plaza Tire Capahas fan tries to keep cool Sunday, July 8, 2012 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

A three-run eighth inning broke things open. Bard doubled and Gibbons walked before Brandon Bennett delivered a two-RBI triple. Campbell added an RBI single.

The Capahas had seven hits, including three triples and a double. Campbell went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Bennett contributed two RBIs.

"It was a real good ballgame, just one error all day and 0-0 going into the bottom of the sixth," Bolen said.

The victory finished off a 2-0 home weekend for the Capahas, who rolled past the Perryville Longhorns 12-2 on Friday night. The game was stopped in the bottom of the seventh inning on the 10-run mercy rule.

Gibbons went 3 for 4 with two triples and two RBIs to pace the Capahas' 14-hit attack.

Adam Blum had two hits and three RBIs. Jason Blum had two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs. Kimball and Cole Bieser both added two hits.

Colton Young notched the victory on the mound. He allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Kyle Marshall finished with two perfect innings. He fanned three.

Perryville trailed just 3-2 entering the bottom of the fourth when the Capahas began to pull away. They scored four runs to go ahead 7-2, then added three more runs in the fifth inning and ended things with a two-run seventh.

The Capahas return to action Friday when they host the St. Louis Raging Bulls at 8 p.m.

Waterloo 000 000 000 -- 0 3 0

Capahas 000 001 13x -- 5 7 1

WP -- Tanner Hiett. LP -- Cory Blackwell. 3B -- Joe Campbell (C), Brandon Bennett (C), Clayton Gibbons (C). 2B -- Sean Bard (C). Multiple hits -- Capahas: Campbell 2-4. Records -- Capahas 19-4.